Contentment

Daily Devotions

December 14, 2012

“With things we shall be content.” 1Ti 6:8 TLB

Contentment isn’t something you find at a particular destination, it’s something you practice every day on your way to it. And even if you miss the right path from time to time, you still enjoy the scenery along the detour. Paul said, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Php 4:11 NKJV). Paul learned not to let what he didn’t have, overshadow what he did. How do you find contentment? By doing these three things: (1) Seek it. Make it a daily choice. Come to the place where you believe that having more materially, won’t make you happier. Sometimes contentment calls for simplifying your life. Benjamin Franklin said, “Contentment makes poor men rich, and discontent makes rich men poor.” (2) Say it. Cultivate the ability to say, “I have enough.” Push back from life’s table and say, “I’ve had enough.” Stand with the surprise bonus in your hand considering what you might buy, and say, “I have enough, Lord. How can I use this for You?” (3) Settle it. “If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them” (Ps 62:10 NAS). If all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world represented eternity, you could say that one grain represents your lifespan. Now think: you are over here grinding your one grain day and night to get everything you can out of it, while ignoring all the beaches of eternity that God has in store for you. Not too smart, eh? To be content, focus on eternity. Let enough be enough. Let your lifestyle be biblically based; make it eternally focused!